Hola, today was our first and last full day in Monteverde. Today we went to the cloud forest where we were face to face with beautiful views and animals. We had a very productive day wherein we walked almost 4 miles! After a short break and lunch back at the hotel, we went to the Monteverde Institute and had a fascinating talk about sustainability. We discussed some of the competing aspects of productivity, conservation, and sustainability, which included issues with making progress and being productive, but how that can interfere with conservation and sustainability. I thought the two looks at tourism were especially interesting as tourism brings in more revenue that can be used for conservation and sustainability initiatives, it also can contribute to waste and pollution, thus interfering with the conservation of natural beauty. In facing climate change the tourism is more needed but also adds to an already growing issue.

Monteverde has some unique challenges with this, as it is part of the 1% of cloud forests in the world, so the people have a special duty to protect it, but its rarity only makes people want to see it more. In other parts of Costa Rica, the common challenge of balancing high tourism with the preservation of natural beauty is widespread. As tourism spikes, protection becomes more difficult. If I had to prioritize only one of the three, I would prioritize sustainability because sustainability can be both conservation (saving natural resources by reuse) and productivity (making headway in sustainability can make production move just as fast and last for a longer amount of time).

The day concluded with a rainy, cold night hike through the forest where we got to see snakes and tarantulas. Yikes! Safe to say I am slightly happy to go back to the steaming heat and un-airconditioned buildings of Heredia.

Unfortunately, we leave this beautiful place tomorrow. I am grateful to have gotten to witness all I have while we stayed in Monteverde!